. Father Donatas the nature of passionate and impulsive, . was a witness and active participant in the revolutionary events of 1905 and 1917, . wounded, . participated in the First World War, . for their political beliefs are not just sitting in prisons, . then emigrated to Brazil, . Mother, left with two children - Donatas and his elder sister, suffered many hardships. With some difficulty managed to somehow wear, shoes and feed the children. After returning to Lithuania Juozas Banionis live family became a little easier, although the money is still not always enough.

Donatas, as, indeed, many children have been characterized by remarkable ability among the needs and hardships in his imagination to create the illusion of full charm world - a world of fantasies and dreams. He was fascinated by theater. Many hours on end he spent in sweet dreams about the impending actor's career, raved about the scene, the smell of the scenes, the mysterious, magical life, which prevails over the heavy velvet curtain ...

In many ways, contributed to this state and parents, people with creative beginnings, which are constantly stretched to the art - the father and mother participated in a working amateur, well-sung, and they met at a rehearsal of the choir.

Well aware of his son and not letting his passion for the theater, his father still convinced Donatas that first need to master any profession. So Donatas was an apprenticeship

. Already being the first students to craft school in Kaunas, . future ceramist, . Donatas not leave his passion and enrolled in the drama section, . where to enjoy playing in performances, . memorize by heart all the roles, . read all articles and books about film and theater, . that he could get, . Soon there was a desire to enter the studio in Kaunas Drama Theater. However, studies there was worth a lot of money, which the family was a little, and on the professional stage had for some time to forget.

In 1940, in Kaunas on the basis of an amateur team that existed at the House of Labor, was established professional theater, which was headed by Juozas Miltinis - a young director, who returned recently from Europe. Soon the 15 enthusiasts headed by Miltinisom left Kaunas Panevezys create a new model of the theater - for the people and for the people, and about six months DonatasBanionis took the troupe. In 1944, DonatasBanionis graduated from the studio in Panevд?е+ys theater, becoming a professional actor. Since then, the actor's life is inextricably linked to Panevezys. In the theater DonatasBanionis created more than 100 images. These include roles in: "Death of a Salesman" by Miller (Willie Lohmen), . "Inspector" by N. Gogol (Ivan Kuzmich, . 1945), . "Liar" C. Goldoni (Octavius, . 1952), . "How the Steel Was Tempered" Ostrovsky (Pavel Korchagin, . 1952), . "Hedda Gabler" H. Ibsen (Tesman, . 1957), . "There, . the door "B. Borchert (Beckman, . 1966), . "Inspector", . Gogol (mayor, . 1977), . "Department" V. Vrublevskaya (Bryzgalov, . 1980), . as well as in productions of "Straw Hat" by E. Labiche, . "Proposal" Chekhov, . Barber of Seville "by Beaumarchais, and others, .

In film DonatasBanionis debuted in 1959 in the role of Hawes in the movie "Adam wants to be a man". The appearance of actors on the screen of Panevezys has become one of the most notable developments of cinematic life of 60-ies. The first role is not easy given. According to the most DonatasYuozovicha, only to the fourth scene of his birth occurred as film actor. However, later he created a number of images on the right reported as the classics of Soviet cinema. In the main film actor - "Nobody wanted to die" (Vaitkus, . 1965), . "Dead Season" (Ladeynikov, . 1968), . "Solaris" (Chris Kelvin, . 1972), . Goya, . or serious way "(Goya, . 1971), . "Beethoven - the days of life" (Beethoven, . 1976) - were not particularly important embodiment of genre, . a very inner essence of the characters are played, . their psychological multidimensionality, .

Total DonatasBanionis played more than 50 films. Among the actor played the roles - and tragic images, and comedic, classic and modern, the images of the grotesque and deeply psychological, living in different eras and different countries. But the actor playing style, his manner more fully, perhaps, is expressed in the words of the Lithuanian director Vytautas Zhalakyavichusa: "Banionis called" intelligent "actor ... Banionis - and a profound sense, lepyaschy image "inside". He built the interior of the soul. Builds maze of knowledge ... His transformation does not require him any psychological reorganizations. His appearance - inside. His face - inside. It is woven of emotions ".

One of the last roles DonatasBanionis in film was the role of an old man in the Lithuanian-French film "Garden" (1999), presented in non-competitive program of the Cannes Film Festival. Despite the numerous works in film, especially in 60 - 70-ies, DonatasBanionis never broke with the theater. In 1980, after retiring Miltinisa threatened the very existence of Panevezhisskogo theater - there was nobody to put on plays, actors did not rehearse ... In these circumstances, DonatasBanionis was appointed chief director, assuming, in addition to the problems of creative nature, and the load is purely economic problems - repertoire, preparation for the tour, recruitment company. During these years DonatasBanionis graduated from the State Conservatory of Lithuanian SSR (1982-1984).

DY Banionis directed the theater until 1988. During this time, were delivered a few new productions: "Amadeus", "Three sacks of weed of wheat," "Evening". Later on the stage were set "Three Sisters, Anton Chekhov," Biedermann and arsonists M. Frisch, "Red mare with a bell" I. Druta, "Dandelion Wine" by R. Bradbury, etc..

DonatasBanionis - People's Artist of the Lithuanian SSR (1973), People's Artist of the USSR (1974), honorary citizen of the city Panevezys (1999).

DonatasBanionis can be called a workaholic. All his spare time he devotes to read, work on the texts. The cast allocates E. Lebedeva, I. Smoktunovsky, O. Borisov, A. Freundlich. One of the most beloved films - "Andrei Rublev, Tarkovsky. He lives in the city of Panevezys.